In my inimitable style, I shunned the general populace on the Fourth. I have never been a big fan of the noise or drunken crowds of the holiday. I got up early and headed to work because I had a lot to do, and then left fairly early to head to Snow Lake.
It was cool and cloudy in Seattle when I left, but it was crystal clear and hot at Snoqualmie Pass. I headed up the trail at what is for me a blistering pace. I've done that hike so many times that I didn't bother to take any pictures until I actually reached the first viewpoint for Snow Lake. The entire basin is snowbound and the lake is still partially frozen. Like a moron, I made my way down the crusty yet half-melted snow to the shore to take a few more pictures, risking postholing through the rotten snow and breaking an ankle or two. At one point I decided to just sit down and slide for about 100 feet, which was great fun. It was hot in spite of the snow, and my shoulders got sunburned because I refuse to deal with sunscreen most of the time.
After wandering in the snow near the lake but chickening out when it came to crossing the big creek, I headed back up the slope, which was easier than getting down the slope but still a little tricky. After reaching the saddle, it was before noon and I decided to head to Source Lake, which you can see from an offshoot of the Snow Lake trail. I'd never gone that way before because I had seen a photo of the lake and was unimpressed. I don't know why I decided to do it on this particular day, other than that it was early, I had time, and I wasn't tired. Half a mile later, the unimpressive puddle that is the headwaters of the North Fork Snoqualmie came into view, as did the snow field at the end of the cirque, the back of Chair Peak, and multiple very impressive waterfalls that currently feed the lake and the river. It was worth the trip up just to see the peaks from that angle.
Pictures are here. http://community.webshots.com/album/551961445osrejn
After heading back home, I did some homework, some housework, and I ate almost half a gallon of some kind of ice cream that involved caramel swirls and chocolate-covered toffee chunks. I was hoping to get to bed early, but we all know that was a fantasy. All of my loud, obnoxious, disrespectful neighbors decided to set off illegal fireworks until 11:30 that night, so I woke up tired and feeling like crap at 4:00 a.m. Just to be a bitch and wake up my neighbors to get even with them for not letting me sleep, I set off my car alarm a few times. Vengeance is mine!
I think we all need to petition to move the Independence Day celebration to the first Friday in July. That way we all get a 3-day weekend and none of us has to get up early the next day.
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